Today is a day I wish I was American just because it means an extra day to stuff my face with food, and even though I have no American blood I thought it would be a nice thought to take the whole 'giving thanks' idea and turn it into a blog post showcasing what myself and some of you guys are thankful and grateful for in life. We often get so caught up in first world problems, materialistic things and things we don't have that we forget the things that truly matter (god am I always this cheesy). Here's what you guys had to say.
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1. "Not everyone in this world has the luxury to choose their path in life, so I am grateful for being fortunate enough to have choices. i'm grateful for having options and feeling like the world is my oyster" - Joelle, 26
2. "Matt - my boyfriend, who is the most supportive and incredible person I've ever known. I'm grateful for garlic bread because it's the most heavenly thing to ever exist! My parents who are always there for me no matter what. All my incredible blogging friends who I have so much in common with and they're now my absolute best friends. The wonderful places that I've travelled to; New York, New Zealand and Italy just to name a few." - Chloe, 19
3. "I am so thankful simply for mine and my family's health. There are so many people who suffer in the world, and my mum has always taught me to be so grateful for my health. I am here, I am breathing, I am healthy and I have my family - and to me that's the most important thing." - Amy, 21
4. "What I’m grateful for? Usually when I’m asked this question, I instantly think towards my family and my friends. They are my World and knowing I have the support from my loved ones each day is something to be pretty grateful for. But if I dig deep enough, I also find that I’m truly grateful for so much more
Whether it’s the simple things in life, like the sunrise each day, the oxygen I breathe, the fact I live so close to the ocean, or even just how wonderful the human body is. Knowing that my body grew, fed and gave birth to a little human is just mind-blowing. But also the fact that I’m able to hear, see, speak, smell and touch each day is also a true blessing in itself. Even the mistakes I’ve made in the past, my fears or the anxiety that’s brought long days of darkness are life challenges I’m also grateful for. These obstacles have helped me to learn and grow into the person I am today. I’m a stronger Woman now because of them." - Cath, 26
5. "Without a doubt the past couple of years have made me realise how lucky I am to have the people that I do around me - family, friends and my partner. I am so grateful for the unconditional love and support that they have given me in recent months and continue to do whenever I go through a bad spell. Particularly my boyfriend. I suffer from bad surges of depression and anxiety and through every single one he never wavers, never falters and always lifts me up. Having unconditional and judgement-free love from other people is rare and I realise how lucky I am to have them all. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am without them." - Megan, 25
Whether it’s the simple things in life, like the sunrise each day, the oxygen I breathe, the fact I live so close to the ocean, or even just how wonderful the human body is. Knowing that my body grew, fed and gave birth to a little human is just mind-blowing. But also the fact that I’m able to hear, see, speak, smell and touch each day is also a true blessing in itself. Even the mistakes I’ve made in the past, my fears or the anxiety that’s brought long days of darkness are life challenges I’m also grateful for. These obstacles have helped me to learn and grow into the person I am today. I’m a stronger Woman now because of them." - Cath, 26
5. "Without a doubt the past couple of years have made me realise how lucky I am to have the people that I do around me - family, friends and my partner. I am so grateful for the unconditional love and support that they have given me in recent months and continue to do whenever I go through a bad spell. Particularly my boyfriend. I suffer from bad surges of depression and anxiety and through every single one he never wavers, never falters and always lifts me up. Having unconditional and judgement-free love from other people is rare and I realise how lucky I am to have them all. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am without them." - Megan, 25
6. "I am grateful for new days and new opportunities. Being able to study and learn something new. My family, friends & the awesome blogging community - so inspirational and supportive. Being a blogger, having a creative outlet and a place to make ideas happen. My health, the places I’ve visited, oh and of course my two little cats, Simba & Zazu." - Bexa, 31
7. "I am grateful for having good health, my family and friends who love me and will always look out for me, and I am grateful for having a loving, kind partner, our own home and our gorgeous cat together. " - Sarah, 38
8. "I think that its so easy to obsess over everything you don't have rather than all of the wonderful things that you do and its so important to think about what you have thats worth being grateful for! Especially at this time of year.
I'm super grateful for my partner who has been there for me through an awful lot, he's so supportive and caring and I couldn't ask for anyone more amazing. He's one of the reasons I now blog because he believes in me sometimes more than I believe in myself, its something that I've always wanted to do and he helped to boost my confidence enough to make it happen. I'm also thankful for all of the opportunities I've had, I'm so lucky that I've always had everything I've needed and more, I've had opportunities to travel, to gain an eduction, and have never gone without because of the hard work of myself, my parents and my partner. " - Sophie, 22
9. "Being grateful and expressing overt gratitude towards those around us has become a dying practice, but one that we should endeavour to take part in at least once a week in my opinion. I am grateful for my family who raised me and made sure I never went without. For my friends for always being there to have a laugh with, being supportive or bringing me back down to earth with a roast or two. And for my brilliant girlfriend who has helped me to become the best version of myself and being a daily source of positivity.
Every morning I try to write down what I'm grateful for. This allows me to wake up with a positive outlook and allows me to achieve what I set out that particular day. We often neglect to express gratification for life in general, which is why we see so many people drifting through theirs, aimlessly and without purpose. By recognising that we aren't invincible and our time on earth is finite, we can begin to put our gratitude to work and show that we truly are grateful for that which surrounds us day by day." - Sam, 21
10. "I am grateful for my nieces and nephews, no matter what is going on in life their innocence and their happy nature gets me through! They make me realise what is really important in my life." - Sophia, 21
11. "I’m grateful for the upbringing I’ve had by my inspirational parents. Without this I wouldn’t have the amazing education and job that I have and not be where I am today. I think it’s important for people to recognise the part childhood and upbringing plays in getting them where they are in their life. And to be grateful to their parents for this." Rebecca, 24
12. "In life I think we come to be grateful for many things, and selecting one thing in particular was pretty difficult, but to narrow it down, right now I’m very grateful for the fact that my sister was able to carry her first child full term, give birth without complications and have a healthy, beautiful little girl. So many women don’t get this privilege for matters out of their control, and to have an extension to our family like this is a real blessing and I am so grateful to be able to have a happy healthy little niece." - Georgia, 19
13. "It was only after I started writing a gratitude journal, that I really began to understand the meaning and importance behind the word ‘grateful’. It’s not just the act of saying thank you, or even telling someone how grateful you are, but actually feeling it. Alongside this, I’ve learnt that it’s not something that can be enforced either (although people love to tell you to be grateful), but more a choice. As well as being an incredible way to calm down and put problems into perspective, gratitude journaling has helped me acknowledge how much I have to be grateful for.
For example, I recently had the chance to spend some time with my mum, and on reflection I realised how grateful I was for her and everything she’s done for me. I’m thankful that she has a job that has allowed her to spend time with me as I’ve grown up, given me an amazing education, and opened doors to tons of new opportunities. It also allows me to feel grateful for even the smallest things like, the ability to live in such a beautiful city, being able to do take long walks and even just see the leaves on the trees change colour with the transition from summer to autumn." - Meera, 19
14. "I am thankful for the little things in life. I think everyone is so focused on their career and money and looks etc and fail to appreciate the little things. I'm grateful for the nice cup of tea I had someone make for me today, the beautiful colours on the trees in autumn and cute dogs you see on the street, and mint hot chocolate and how comfy my bed is." - Zoe, 21
15. "I am Grateful for everyone single person that takes the time to read my blog. It started off as an idea to celebrate upcoming musicians. Fast forward a year later and it's a growing business providing a platform for budding creatives around the world. I couldn't have done that without the support and engagement of my readers. It's opened up opportunities I never could have imagined in industries I couldn't have predicted. I'm grateful for the journey and excited about what the future holds." - Ray, 21
I guess I should end this with my own insight - I'm grateful that I can wake up every morning knowing there's food to eat, that I have friends who make me laugh until I cry, that I have a family that support all my weird and wacky decisions. I'm grateful that I've been able to see some of the worlds most beautiful places, and tried amazing cuisines (and pizzas). I'm grateful that I have a platform to share all of my thoughts with and that there's at least 1 person out there reading it.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this post, I hope it has warmed your hearts! If you're reading this try and use today to try and do something kind and selfless for someone.
G
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